1. Technical Field
Aspects of the present invention relate to an image reading device capable of receiving light reflected from an object and forming an image of the object in accordance with the received light.
2. Description of Related Art
Image reading devices, such as a scanner, capable of reading an image formed on a print medium are widely used. In general, the scanner is provided with a light source, a glass plate on which a print medium is placed, and an image sensor. In order to obtain an image formed on the print medium, the light source illuminates the print medium from the lower side of the glass plate, and the image sensor (e.g. a line sensor) is moved from one edge of the glass plate (i.e., a predetermined start position) to the opposite edge of the glass plate. An example of such an image scanner is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2005-79926 (hereafter, referred to as JP 2005-79926A). In general, an image scanner is configured to allow a user to make settings for a reading area according to standards concerning sizes of print media (e.g., JIS; Japanese Industrial Standards).
Recently, a ticket booking system configured as follows has been proposed. In this system, code data (e.g., QR code®) representing a certain pattern is provided to a user when the user books a ticket. For example, the code data is sent to the user's mobile phone by e-mail). At settlement time, the user operates the user's mobile phone to display the code data on a LCD screen of the mobile phone. Then, the user operates a dedicated code reading device so as to make the code reading device read the pattern, corresponding to the code data, displayed on the LCD screen of the mobile phone. An example of such a dedicated code reading device capable of reading an image from an object having a transparent cover layer on its surface is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2003-331213 (hereafter, referred to as JP 2003-331213).
Since such a dedicated code reading device is designed only for obtaining codes, it is not cost-effective to introduce a dedicated code reading device to an office particularly in the case where frequency of usage of the dedicated reading device is low.
A person may try to read code data displayed on a screen of his or her mobile phone by a general-purpose scanner. However, such a try will not achieve success because light from a light source of the scanner reflects from a protective layer or a reflective layer, which forms a LCD screen unit of a mobile phone, and such reflection makes it difficult to appropriately read an image displayed on the LCD screen of the mobile phone.
Use of a general-purpose scanner for reading of code data displayed on a LCD screen of a mobile phone also may raise a problem that a scanning of an image sensor is performed wastefully in a wider range than a range corresponding to the screen size of the mobile phone placed on a glass plate of the scanner because the scanner does not support scanning ranges other than standard paper sizes.
In the case of a folding mobile phone, it may be difficult to place the mobile phone on a general-purpose scanner in such a manner than a screen of the mobile phone closely contacts a glass plate of the general-purpose scanner.
It may be possible to place a folding mobile phone so that the screen of the mobile phone closely contacts the glass plate of the general-purpose scanner by locating a body part including dial keys at the outside of the glass plate. The user probably locates the folding mobile phone at the edge opposite to the scan start position on the glass plate so that the screen of the mobile phone closely contacts the glass plate. In this case, the user is required to operate the general purpose scanner to adjust settings of the scanning range so that the scanning range covers the opposite edge portion of the glass plate where the mobile phone is placed.